It Passes All My Understanding

And that's when it happens, when you least expect it, when it feels like the storm will never end...light cuts through the darkness, and heaven surprises you...when you least expect it.

- Hilary Weeks, "When You Least Expect It" 

I love this song by Hilary Weeks. I think so many times, during the most difficult times of our lives, we tend to forget our purpose here. To learn, to grow, to become like our Heavenly Father. I am SO grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and His Atonement. His love and my Father in Heaven's love passes all my understanding. It's incomprehensible, yet so tangible. 

Update on life: 

- LOVE my job! Learning so many new skills and feeling like I'm starting to understand what I'm doing...haha! But seriously...

- LOVE my family! It keeps on getting bigger. BABIES and MORE BABIES!! How can you not love babies?! So excited for the two little ones coming soon! :) 

- LOVE my life!!!! It's incredible to see how the Lord blesses you everyday and things that you thought would be the biggest tragedies in your life, turn out to be the biggest blessings! 

- LOVE my friends!! I am SO blessed with incredible friends! :) 

Lots of LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Ooh look...my hair is getting LONGER!

Love, 

EM

Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist...

When I decided to start this blog, I thought that I would be super good and write weekly...PSYCH! That hasn't happened...and I'm okay with that. But for some reason, I can't sleep and I was like, oh here's another time to blab...so here I go.

At BYU, I interned with a group called the Women's Services and Resources (WSR) office (check out their blog to your right...WSR...it's fantastic). I loved this experience because I was able to see how wonderful and great women and men are!! It kills me when people beat themselves up. Growing up, I had a lot of friends who would just rip themselves apart because they didn't like themselves for one reason or another. Some would starve themselves or throw up because they wanted to be thin, others would think that there was no purpose to their lives and tried to end their lives, others would throw away their virtue and honor by thinking that the only way to prove their love to their significant others was through engaging in immoral acts. Do I blame them for having these feelings? Definitely not. The world is a crazy place, with so many confusing messages about self-worth, body image, etc. that these feelings are valid. Satan is real and es un PUERCO!! My mission companion would always tell me this and I LOVED it! Satan is a PIG! He will do EVERYTHING to rip someone apart! I think the greatest attack that he has on people is by influencing them to forget who they are, which are divine Children of God.

I believe that we lived before this life as spiritual sons and daughters of our Heavenly Parents. For more information about this: click here. It's true. No doubt about it!

So I have to ask myself daily: How am I or what am I doing that helps me forget who I am?

1) Negative self-talk and thinking: This is hard for me. Why? Because I am a perfectionist. Correction: I like to call myself a recovering perfectionist because I believe that I am a lot better than I used to be and that I can get a lot better...haha. It's true. So often when people compliment me, I think of at least 10 reasons why that compliment isn't true or how I can improve. Why? I'm human. Get over it. :) Haha...so this is definitely one way that I forget who I am.

My remedy: When I look in the mirror, I try to laugh. Laughter is the best medicine because it makes us get over ourselves and stop thinking about ourselves and I just have to laugh because, unlike the adversary, at least I have a body. Beat that. :)

2) Yes-woman: I am the QUEEN of saying "YES." It's really hard for me to say no. Especially if people call me, "Emmy," or "Em" or flatter me in any way...tempting me with rolls and jam (not chocolate...I love bread)...or just laying on a thick slab of guilt on my conscience. Being a yes-woman is not what it is all cracked up to be. For the most part, I love saying yes to things, because I love to help! But there are times when I say, "yes" when I really should say, "no." This makes me forget who I am: an imperfect person that can't be superwoman and do EVERYTHING! How grateful I am for that.

My remedy: I live by my planner. If it's not written down, I won't do it...so I try to schedule my time well and just say, "No" sometimes. It's quite liberating. Try it. :)

3) Thinking I'm the exception: Is this a way that Satan uses to help people forget who they are? DING DING DING!! :) Are there ever times when you think that something doesn't apply to you because you are "different" or you have a different "situation"? I have used this excuse many times in my life and I don't do all the things that I could be doing to be better. I'm a TON better than I used to be...but still there is a ton of room for improvement! :) This frustrates me to no end when people think that they are an exception to prophets' counsel, guidance and direction. Wake up! Satan wants us to feel alone, that we are the only ones that are going through a certain experience, trial, heartache, stress, all of the above. When in reality...we are NOT alone.
The Savior's Atonement covers all infirmities, sicknesses, pains, FEARS and heartaches. When we feel alone, we can know with a surety that at least one person, Jesus Christ, knows how we feel.
My remedy: I have found in my own life, that when I feel that I am an exception, it is because I am scared out of my mind to live up to my responsibilities. One issue that I have talked with many of my LDS friends (men AND women) about is: the fear of getting married. How many times do LDS young single adults joke about this and yet, why do they? Because they are, for the most part, ALWAYS thinking about it, at least once a week, maybe twice? Don't lie. You've done it. :) There's always an excuse to feel like an exception: Men that won't commit because of other important things like school, career, lack of money, travel, fear of heartache, etc. Women that won't commit because of school, career, lack of money, travel, fear of heartache, etc. I for one, will admit that I am terrified of making the wrong choice in an eternal companion and when those moments come up, which come up often, I try my hardest to pray hard, work hard and suck it up. :) Satan wants us to feel fear. After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, what did they feel? FEAR. The Lord ALWAYS provides a way to obey His commandments. In His timing, in His way. I know of SO many good and righteous people who strive daily to live the commandments, especially this one and don't receive this blessing quite yet. Why? I honestly don't know. But what I do know, is that the Lord will bless us and that He will provide for us. But we cannot progress if we don't work and give our all to obey His commandments.

How grateful I am to not be perfect. I wouldn't want to be. How boring. I am grateful that I am a spaz who talks too much, laughs too loud, has childbearing hips and has the tendency to want to save the world. I love my imperfections and I am proud to say that they make me who I am. I am grateful for the many times that my heart has been broken by loved ones, ex-boyfriends, friends, family members and the times when my eyes couldn't dry because of my endless tears and sobs. It isn't until we are broken that we can be made whole.

Once again, I am blabbing and on a soapbox...but to my good friends who read this blog, you're used to it by now. :) I love the Lord. He is SO good to me. It is through my understanding of Him and learning of His divinity that I learn of my divinity as a literal daughter of God. How grateful I am for this opportunity to be here on the earth.I am blessed.

Have a good night! I think I can go to bed now. :) Til next time, remember who you are and who you can become! :)

Turning, Turning, Turning through the years...

Les Miserables has to be my FAVORITE musical of all time! Why? Well the music is AMAZING...but mainly I love it because the characters are incredible and the way that they are portrayed in the musical is truly brilliant. Val Jean is the epitome of what it means to make mistakes, learn from them and improve your life and that of others because of the lessons that you have learned. Fantine and her dedication to her daughter and learning to live with a life that she never dreamed of, which I think the majority of people have these experiences often, where something unexpected happens and they think, "Why Me?" I know I have felt that. But if I had to choose my favorite character, it would have to be Monsieur Thenardier...he has SUCH a deep character! Okay, just jokes...he's a pig, BUT I just adore Javert. I LOVE him. His character is such a pivotal character in the play. He is a great example of someone who at first had the right intentions, but then became SO obsessed with it, that it consumed him and changed him into this bitter, obsessed, half-crazed man who eventually took his own life because what he thought was truth and justice, turned out to be wrong and he couldn't handle it. His character teaches me a lot about how it is so important to see people for who they truly are and not judge them by past errors, flaws and try to see them as the Savior would see them.

Now...when I decided to blog tonight, I didn't mean to write about Les Mis...but as I decided that this blog shouldn't be called a "blog" but actually a "blab" because that's what I do every time I write on this thing...it all works out right? The purpose of this blab was to update my sweet friends and fantab fam about my life. So here we go!

I moved back to the great state of Washington! It's SO great to be back! I am SUCH a fan! It's so nice to be around trees! It is also a huge blessing to be back around the majority of my family. I adore my family. They are SO fantastic! I love being reminded of that everyday! They are so good to me too...too good to me, but they are pretty great!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job! It stresses me out at times...meaning all the time...BUT it's exciting stress, so that makes me happy! I love the little kids that I work with. They remind everyday about the importance of living each day to the fullest! These little kids have so many challenges and yet they come into my office, flash a huge smile, give me a high five and giggle. I LOVE the sound of kids' giggles. It has to be the sweetest sound on earth and in heaven! The greatest thing that these kids have taught me is the importance of endurance, patience and the true meaning of faith. Whenever I see a little kid let go of his/her walker and attempt to walk, I can't help but be amazed. Here I am, a healthy 25-year-old, complaining about silly little things and this three-year-old is trying to take his first step. Children are the greatest blessing on the earth because their examples of faith, obedience and love teach us how to become more like the Savior. SO my job is great! I love it!

Church is great! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true! There's NO doubt in my mind about that. I feel like I just run around with my head cut off all the time...but I love being productively busy. In my 25 years of knowledge and wisdom (which isn't much), I keep on learning that everyday I need to focus on finding balance in my life. I am horrible at this at times, meaning all the time...maybe it's because I'm a Blue/Yellow personality and my deep emotional/business-minded side has a hard time gelling with my crazy/always looking for fun side. Being productively busy is important...meaning filling our lives with the best things in life. Taking time to ponder, think, work, pray, laugh, love, etc. is crucial to finding balance in life. Especially the laughing part...life would not be worth it if we didn't laugh once in a while...or at least 12 times a day. :)

Exciting news from the summer! One of my best friends, Chris got married to her man, Spencer. JOY! I adore these two people, especially Chris. She is such an amazing example to me. True friendship is a rare thing to find and once you find it, it's important to cherish it and never let go (I should write for Hallmark...I've got the cheese to do it...or I was inspired by Titantic's dialogue, I mean who wasn't inspired by that piece of goodness...). It's true though. God blesses us with people in our lives to bring us joy. I am grateful for Miss Chris. Here are some pics from the reception with some of my other dear, dear and crazy friends.

OH! I forgot! I got a CAR! It's fantastic!! He's a white Corolla...bringing me back to the mission (I drove a Corolla my whole mission...what can I say, it's a good car.) :) His name is Charlie...my White Knight...and he's a keeper. :) Not only is he reliable, dependable, takes me places, gives me freedom and is classy (all characteristics that I look for in a guy)...he has a great sense of humor (another important attribute)! After only owning him for three days, he just thought it would be funny to get hit in the parking lot by another car...he didn't even get the car's number who did it...he's kind of shy.

That's a WHOLE other story...but he's a keeper, dent and all. :)

OKAY! There's an update. I'm done blabbing now...

EM

I GOT THE JOB!!!! :)

~ LIFE IS SO GOOD ~

I am SUPER stoked!! Honestly, can I just say that I feel so blessed. Okay...I feel so blessed! This past summer has been an interesting one. Full of confusion, frustration, sadness, happiness, joy and finally, at last, peace.

The past two weeks I've been studying A LOT about this:

FAITH

Faith is such a funny thing.
Not literally funny...although, I did know this girl named Faith who was quite funny,
but I digress...
Why is faith such a funny principle?
Because we say that we have it so often,
but yet I don't think we really understand what faith is.
So how can we have something that we don't understand?

At least at times, I feel that I don't truly understand what faith is...maybe it's just me?
I've been pondering a lot about this lately. I've been trying to figure out
if I truly understand the concept of faith.

On my way to discover about faith, here are three instrumental scriptures that have helped me:

"Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates
for a WISE PURPOSE in him, which purpose I know not.
But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth
a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold,
he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words."

~ 1 Nephi 9:5-6 ~

"But behold, all things have been done in the WISDOM of him who knoweth all things."

~ 2 Nephi 2:24 ~

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things,
both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all
WISDOM, and all power, both in heaven and in earth;
believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the
Lord can comprehend."

~ Mosiah 4:9 ~

All of these scriptures come The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

What I love about these scriptures is that all of them have to do with the WISDOM
that God has and that as we put our faith (trust and confidence) in Him
things will work out. When they need to.

All of these SCRIPTURES were given by ancient prophets named:

Nephi

Lehi

King Benjamin

Haven't heard about these prophets before? They are GREAT, some of my favorites. Click the scriptures references above (scroll up just a titch...there ya go) or click on The Book of Mormon link and feel free to read more.
It will change your life.
It changed mine.

SO WHAT IS FAITH?

Here is an example:

In April 2011, I was just finishing up with classes at BYU. Trying to figure out my future and I was STRESSED. I didn't feel right about leaving Provo yet and there were
things that I needed to figure out. So I went with it. Found an AMAZING
internship at BYU Law School
and just pushed forward.

This summer, which I thought would be smooth sailing,
ended up being
ROUGH
Really rough, tiring, frustrating, humiliating and...I'll just spare the details! :)
It wasn't what I expected to happen in my life at the time
but I'm grateful for the time and that I had AMAZING people around me to help me through it!
Like THESE crazies:


My fantastic roomies (L to R): Cakes, Nae Nae & Miss Chris
(We're too LEGIT to quit)

SO...this summer has been an interesting one...but YET such a GrEaT one!!
SO MUCH FUN!!
But I was feeling overwhelmed with trying to decide what I was going to do after I officially
GRADUATED

Then one day, after months (and I mean MONTHS) of looking...I found a little gem

The Spokane Guilds' School & Neuromuscular Center
had a position open for an Assistant Events Manager

I was STOKED when I saw this because I have always loved this organization
and knew of the great work that they had done for children in the community.
The Guilds' School is a non-profit organization that helps children ages birth to three
who have developmental disabilities achieve their full potential
by providing physical, occupational, speech, sensory, etc. types of therapy to help them progress in life...ANYWAY...AWESOME organization!

So I saw that ad one night and the next day I talked with my Dad
about different jobs that I was looking at and told him
how excited I was about the Guilds' School job
Then a little bit later that day my brother called me and told me that he
was colleagues with the Development Director at the school
and told him about me
My bro told me that I needed to get my resume and cover letter in THAT DAY
because it was going to close that day

So I did that
Heard back the next day and they wanted to set up an interview
Luckily (but I don't think it was luck), I was going to Spokane in the next week for a family reunion
So they let me come and interview and a couple of days later they called me
and said that they liked me and wanted to run a background and reference check
I passed...WHEW :)

Then TODAY I heard back and they offered me the JOB
Great benefits
Great organization
GREAT GREAT LIFE

SO going back to those scriptures up there (you still have time to read them ;) )
I learned this summer that even though I didn't have any clue where
my life would lead or how things, I acted and things worked out the way they were
supposed to be and WHEN they were supposed to

So what I've learned
HAVE FAITH
meaning
HAVE CONFIDENCE AND TRUST
in Heavenly Father and His plan
then
GO TO WORK
and things WILL work out

I feel blessed and humbled to have this opportunity
I pray that I can help families and children understand their great worth and potential
I am SO SO SO excited to the new
Assistant Events Manager
for SUCH a great organization

LIFE IS GOOD

Time is a dear friend also...

So as I mentioned in my previous post, on June 24th I hit my year mark of being home from my mission. Can I just say that I LOVED my mission!! I did! It was fantastic. I learned so much and I can't imagine my life without my experiences there and the lessons that I learned.

One of the greatest lessons that I learned was that there is nothing as constant as change. :) I had the great opportunity to serve with A LOT of missionary companions! :) The MTC should've been a good indicator of how many companions I was going to have on my mission (I had 4 companions in the MTC…most missionaries usually have one, two at the most.) I'm just SO hard to get along with. ;)

I am so grateful for all of the lessons that I learned with each one.

1) Hermana Barnhurst (MTC):

She taught me about having charity. She is such a sweetheart and cares so much about people. I really appreciated her and what she taught me about seeing others as Christ would see them. Love this girl and she is just my little Starburst! :) More to come about her…she's great!

2) Hermana Wilder (MTC):

She taught me about teaching by the Spirit and following the Spirit in all that I do. She had such a passion for teaching and I just truly respect her. She cracked me up as well. Such an optimistic spirit and I just adored her to pieces.

3) Hermana Roberts

(MTC):

Holy Cow! This girl killed me! We had such a blast together. She just cracked me up all the time. We would eat a lot of bread (like good Dominican bread) together and always promise each other that we would cut down because we were starting to pack on the weight…haha…we never did though. The bread was just too dang good! On the serious side though, Hermana Roberts taught me SO much about faith and trusting in the Lord. I was so grateful for her example to me.

See that loaf of bread above…that's what I'm talking about…SWEET bread! SO good…oh good Dominican food…I miss it.

4) Hermana Altan (MTC):

She is probably one of the sweetest people that I know. She taught me about quiet humility and respect for everyone. She was such a great companion and I learned so much from her. She was convicted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I just adore her for it. She was an anchor to all those around her. What a great person. Love that girl!

5) Hermana Santos (Trainer-1st transfer:Aguas Buenas):

She taught people by the Spirit and she just was rockin' awesome. She taught me the importance of obedience and taking time to serve others. She also taught me how to plan with a purpose. I was SO grateful that she taught me those things. She had a rock solid testimony and she was hilarious! Very passionate about missionary work! :)

6) Hermana Fuentes (2nd companion-2nd transfer:Aguas Buenas):

She was such a good teacher. She taught me about finding balance in the mission life and how to serve others with love and compassion. She was such a good example to me about the importance of order, organization and cleanliness in all that we do. She is just such a sweetheart and good friend.

7) Hermana Lespin (3rd companion-3rd transfer:Aguas Buenas):

She is a rockstar! Just so full of the Spirit and knew how to help the people that we were teaching! We had a lot of fun together and became such good friends. It was fun to teach with her and we just had so many great experiences together. We taught a lot of interesting people together, especially one man who looked like Santa Claus. He was great…

8) Hermana Archila (4th companion-4th transfer:Aguas Buenas):

LOVED this girl! She is so smart and just SO hardworking. We were able to see a lot of miracles together. She taught me a lot about humility, forgiveness, charity, patience, virtue and strength. She was always full of great ideas and of ways that we could improve our teaching and serving those around us. I learned SO much from her. She is AMAZING! :)

9) Hermana Lucas (5th companion-5th transfer: St. Thomas)

I ADORE THIS GIRL!!! We had a BLAST together. It was such a great experience to work with one another. We shared so many amazing experiences together serving people on the island of St. Thomas. She is such an amazing teacher and friend to everyone that she meets. Her sense of humor kills me. She's married now and is pregnant…which is CRAZY to me…but she deserves every good thing that's possible. :)

10) Hermana Mijangos (6th companion-6th & 7th transfer: St. Thomas)

She is AMAZING! Not only is she a master chef…BUT just a master teacher and loved to serve everyone that we met. I cherish the time that we spent together as companions. She taught me a lot about teaching, learning and growing from my mistakes. She was always so encouraging and strived for her best effort to serve. She helped so many people in ways that I don't think she realized. She's fantastic!

11) Hermana Calderon (7th companion-8th & 9th transfer: San Lorenzo y Gurabo)

LOVED this girl! She is just such a powerful teacher and good friend. I loved to watch her teach because she had such conviction, power and love when she taught others. She was also a kick in the pants, very fun and funny. I loved all of our in-depth conversations that we had and how we were able to see many miracles together as well.

12) Hermana Castillo (8th companion-10th transfer: San Lorenzo y Gurabo)

This girl is SO crazy fun!! She is so energetic, passionate, talkative, happy and caring to other people! She taught me a lot about enthusiasm, energy, goodness and charity. She was always so much fun to talk to and I just learned something new from her each day. I am grateful for her example in humility, patience and diligence. She is fantastic!

13) Hermana Barnhurst (9th companion-11th and last transfer: Barbados) Yep we got the opportunity to serve twice together!

It was fun to serve with her a little bit longer than I did in the MTC. She taught me about having a lot of love for other people. Honestly, she is such a sweetheart and is always looking for opportunities to show her love to others and serve them. She is a champ, through and through and I was SO glad that I had an opportunity to serve with her twice.

14) Hermana Guzman (10th companion-11th and last transfer: Barbados)

I LOVE this girl. We were in the MTC together and we just bonded from the first day. We wrote each other a lot on the mission and were each other's confidants and friends throughout the whole mission. She taught me a lot about humility, patience, faith and putting complete trust in the Lord. She is a ROCKSTAR because she taught me about the simple things in life: like serving and loving other people.

Honestly the BEST part of my mission was developing relationships with people. Most importantly, I am so grateful for the relationship that I developed with my Father in Heaven, the Savior and the Holy Ghost. I am grateful for the things that They taught me and for Their patience, love, understanding and that the fact that They never give up on me. I am SO grateful for the wonderful people that I taught and served. I adore them. I love and miss the people of the Caribbean. They are a loving people who serve constantly. I am grateful for my companions and a Mission President and his wife who taught me SO much. I just adore them.

Every important mission in our lives involves developing quality and loving relationships with people. I am so grateful for the amazing people in my life and especially for the relationships and lessons I learned on my mission.

It kills me that it's been a year…but I've learned that time is a dear friend also.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

EM

An Embem Summer...

The past couple of weeks have been fantastic! Okay, so parts of the past couple of weeks have been fantastic. But when I reflect upon my life…how can I not think that my life is fantastic? Sure, there definitely are moments in life where we freak out and think, "Oh my goodness…what am I doing with my life?" This has been my thought process for the past two months! :) BUT…I love how talking with certain people, mainly my Mom, helps me put things into perspective.

This lady right here, the one in the green…is my inspiration.

She has a way of helping every person feel that they are special, loved

and

honestly the most important person in the world. When I think of who I have learned the most from in my life, I think ofmy wonderful parents, and especially my mother. Both of my parents have taught me wonderful principles and been fabulous examples, but my Mom and I share a special bond…probably because I'm very similar to her and how she was when she was my age. Yep, she's crazy, fun-loving, outgoing and at times a little too enthusiastic for some… ;). (When my mom was an early morning seminary teacher (this is a church scripture class for 14-18 yr. olds that meets M-F at 6 a.m.), she would have her students sing this upbeat song to get them excited for the class…let's just say that were some who weren't as enthusiastic to sing at 6 a.m.

She is a woman of great faith, courage and wisdom. I ADORE this woman and pray that one day…I can be almost as good as her.

So my Mom is the best. So is my Dad. And I adore my siblings and nieces and nephews. One thing that was a blast last week, was my brother and sister-in-law and their kids came down to visit. SO great! We ended up chatting 'til 1 a.m. and it was just such a delight. I LOVE my family! A couple of Sundays ago, I was over at my sister's house and we ended up "Facetiming" with my Dad (for Father's Day) and the rest of the family. We all talked for about 4 hours…it was FANTASTIC! I think I've used fantastic at leas

t 10 times in this blog post, but that's how honestly I feel right now. :)

So…there really isn't a point to this blog post, or at least a theme per se…I'm just rambling…as usual, BUT can I just say that life is good? LIFE IS GOOD! :)

Oh…I got a haircut! I was so tired of having longish hair and it's so stinking hot…so I chopped it…and I LOVE it! :) So here it is:

OH! Also…on June 24th…I hit my year mark of being home from a mission…more to come later.

Life is Great, Outstanding, Optimisticly Dang GOOD!

Life is GOOD! This is what I've decided. :) Well, actually I decided that a long time ago...but I think it's important to have a daily reminder that life is SO good! So...if you're in doubt...just remember that everyday is good, because

1) you're alive and breathing and 2) Jack Black is too. This past month has been an interesting one. Full of fun, frightening and fantastic decisions to make. Can I get a job? Where to find a job? Where to live after August? Go to grad school? Yay for decisions! But honestly, the first month of being 25 has been a good one. Here are three reasons why:

3 Reasons

Why My Life is SO GOOD

#3: Jack Black exists...I have seen him...well kind of...

Two weekends ago I got together with some of my dearest friends in the world. We ate at the fantastic restaurant of Zupas. :) I have a confession, I have a not-so-secret crush on Jack Black. Yes, at times, he is inappropriate...BUT he is so hilarious. Judge me. Hate me. I can take it. But I adore him. I don't know what it is, but if a guy can make me laugh...I'm a goner.

Do I care if he wears his hair in a nasty part? No.

Do I love that he plays a sweet electric guitar? Yes.

Do I think that Jack Black can pull off the "blond" look? Yes.

Do I think that Jack Black can pull off any hairstyle? Yes.

Is Jack Black sensitive? Of course! How could he not be? He cares for de orphans.

Can men look good wearing "stretchy pants"? If you're Jack Black, yes.

Anyways...SO we were sitting in the Zupas, chattin' it up as girls do AND then this guy sits down, who looks exactly like Jack Black. I think my heart stopped. I looked at him and had a moment of silence to commemorate the experience, then I told the girlies to look over. Not gonna lie, there was a spark, but then he was with a girl and I thought better of it. But for one moment, one short moment, I saw Jack Black...well kind of. :)

#2: Coldplay released their new single, "Every Teardrop is A Waterfall."

Before my mission, I went to see Coldplay in Salt Lake. It was AMAZING!

Best concert of my life!

Click on the link. It'll change your life.

#1: Two weeks ago, one of my best friends, Sarah, made a surprise visit from AZ!

A couple of days before Sarah came into town, I was talking to Miss Chris and told her that I was wishing that Sarah was there so the 3 Amigos could be together again...and Miss Chris knew that Sarah was coming and kept it a secret. Then on Saturday, someone knocked on the door, Chris answered it...and let's just say that I was in shock! It was a fantastic weekend!! Life is SO good when you have great friends who are ALWAYS there to stand by you!

So this post is really long, which is usual for me...but these are three fantastic ways why my life is SO GOOD and why I feel so blessed! Life is good. The Gospel is True. I love my fam and friends. What more can I ask for?

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

EM